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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture,

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Speaker 1: a calming, scripture centered devotional podcast designed to help you

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Speaker 1: end each day with God's Word in your mind and

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Speaker 1: on your heart. Right after this short word from our sponsors,

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Speaker 1: will reflect on tonight's scripture, First John, chapter four. Tonight's

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Speaker 1: scripture reflection is written by Shay Smith and read by

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Speaker 1: Lea Gerard. First John, Chapter four. Dear friends, do not

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Speaker 1: believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether

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Speaker 1: they are from God, because many false prophets have gone

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Speaker 1: out into the world. This is how you can recognize

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Speaker 1: the spirit of God. Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus

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Speaker 1: Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But

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Speaker 1: every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

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Speaker 1: This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have

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Speaker 1: heard is coming, and even now is already in the world. You,

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Speaker 1: dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because

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Speaker 1: the one who is in you is greater than the

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Speaker 1: one who is in the world. They are from the world,

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Speaker 1: and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and

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Speaker 1: the world listens to them. We are from God, and

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Speaker 1: whoever knows God listens to us. But whoever is not

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Speaker 1: from God does not listen to us. This is how

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Speaker 1: we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

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Speaker 1: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes

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Speaker 1: from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God

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Speaker 1: and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God.

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Speaker 1: Because God is love. This is how God showed his

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Speaker 1: love among us. He sent his one and only son

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Speaker 1: into the world that we might live through him. This

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Speaker 1: is love. Not that we loved God, but that He

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Speaker 1: loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice

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Speaker 1: for our sins. Dear friends, since God soul loved us,

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Speaker 1: also ought to love one another. No one has ever

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Speaker 1: seen God. But if we love one another, God lives

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Speaker 1: in us, and His love is made complete in us.

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Speaker 1: This is how we know that we live in Him

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Speaker 1: and he in us. He has given us of his spirit,

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Speaker 1: and we have seen and testify that the Father has

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Speaker 1: sent his son to be savior of the world. If

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Speaker 1: anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God

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Speaker 1: lives in them and they in God. And so we

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Speaker 1: know and rely on the love God has for us.

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Speaker 1: God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God

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Speaker 1: and God in them. This is how love is made

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Speaker 1: complete among us, so that we will have confidence on

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Speaker 1: the day of judgment. In this world we are like Jesus.

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Speaker 1: There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives

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Speaker 1: out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The

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Speaker 1: one who fears is not made perfect in love. We

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Speaker 1: love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love

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Speaker 1: God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.

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Speaker 1: For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom

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Speaker 1: they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen.

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Speaker 1: And He has given us this command. Anyone who loves

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Speaker 1: God must also love their brother and sister. If we're

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Speaker 1: honest for a minute, fear is real, even in those

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Speaker 1: who love and know God in a very intimate and

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Speaker 1: personal way. So for the sake of our reflection tonight,

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Speaker 1: we won't pretend that fear doesn't exist or cast one

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Speaker 1: off if they're experiencing it. Tonight, my hope is that

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Speaker 1: we both debunk the power fear can have over our

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Speaker 1: lives and allow love to seep into the deepest of fears. Fear,

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Speaker 1: according to John has to do with punishment, and the

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Speaker 1: one who fears is not made perfect in love. When

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Speaker 1: we examine why we're experiencing, fear helps to ask what

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Speaker 1: am I afraid of? After experiencing three miscarriages, I'm hopeful

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Speaker 1: of having a successful pregnancy, and yet when I imagine

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Speaker 1: going into the doctor's office for another ultrasound, fear washes

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Speaker 1: over me. When I go deeper into the thoughts and

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Speaker 1: feelings behind the fear, I'm scared of another ultrasound text

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Speaker 1: saying I'm sorry we don't detect the heartbeat. I'm scared

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Speaker 1: of the disappointment and deferred hope. I'm nervous about the

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Speaker 1: uncontrollable outcome. And then I'm reminded of his love. Perfect

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Speaker 1: love drives out fear. John doesn't say that fears not there.

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Speaker 1: He says love drives it out. When I go back

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Speaker 1: to the fears I'm experiencing, I have to preach to

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Speaker 1: my soul, and I'm thankful I have this chapter to

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Speaker 1: encourage me from our reading tonight. This is the message

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Speaker 1: I'm telling my soul. Maybe think of the fear that

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Speaker 1: you have in your life right now and preach this

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Speaker 1: to your soul too. Dear soul, You're precious in God's eyes.

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Speaker 1: You are dearly loved. If you saw what God sees,

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Speaker 1: you'd never question what he allows. When you start to

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Speaker 1: panic and feel fear creeping in, remember Jesus, the suffering

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Speaker 1: you've walked through is known deeply by a savior who suffered.

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Speaker 1: Remember he has given you his spirit. When fear rears

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Speaker 1: its ugly head, aloud, love to drive it out. God

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Speaker 1: is love, and love cares comforts and has only pure intentions.

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Speaker 1: Your test will turn into a testimony, your pain into

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Speaker 1: purpose soul. Love him and love others. By your love,

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Speaker 1: you will loosen the grip of fear and replace it

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Speaker 1: with trust and peace. Father, I pray you would sound

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Speaker 1: the alarm when fear tries to take over. Remind me

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Speaker 1: of the authority in Christ. I have to drive it

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Speaker 1: out in his name. I plead to you, Jesus, for

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Speaker 1: your perfect love to wash over me. Tonight. I pray

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Speaker 1: for unexplainable peace. I pray for ultimate trust and a

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Speaker 1: surrendered heart and hands. Tonight I declare my love for

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Speaker 1: you and my unending commitment to walk forward in your spirit,

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Speaker 1: staying in step with you and your leading. Fear, you

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Speaker 1: must flee in the name of Jesus. Amen. How did

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Speaker 1: Tonight's scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts in the

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Speaker 1: Your Nightly Scripture Forum discussion. Thank you for listening to

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Speaker 1: Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture was read from the New

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Speaker 1: International Version by Biblica. All rights reserved. If Tonight's episode

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Speaker 1: blessed you, be sure to follow the show on Apple

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Speaker 1: Your Nightly Scripture is a production of Life Audio and

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Speaker 1: Salem Media. Thank you and we'll see you tomorrow. Night